Hi there.
This is nothing to do with KH:TFF, it's the first chappy of my new story. A work in progress, if you will. Or a first draft. Or something.
It's mostly for Squall18. I tried to send it in a PM, but it didn't work. Damn 5000 character rule.
Untitled, so far. CC would be appreciated.
One
Silent, she walked across the soft, maroon carpet, eyeing the looming bookcases that surrounded her. The room was dimly lit, over-crowded with matching mahogany bookcases, tables, and chairs. Glowing, white candles stood on the tables, inadequate to light the huge room. Trailing a light finger over the cool, burgundy leather, her hands tracing lines through the thin layer of dust, her piercing blue eyes examined the gold, embossed titles, before settling on the desired words. Removing the old, heavy book from the shelf, she made her way to the table, sitting down and lighting a small lamp. The candles weren’t able to provide enough light to read properly. The new orange radiance flickered in the dim library, casting a gentle light across the wooden table. Opening the book, she carefully flicked through the crinkled, gold-lined pages, finding the chapter she’d finished on last time. Happy in her silent seclusion, she began to read to herself, picking up where she’d left off.
History of Oberon
Chapter VI - War of the Mystics
For many years, relations between Oberon and Lapai had been less than satisfactory. The borderlands were highly disputed over, regularly leading to conflict between the countries. When a new leader, Tai-Yuan, rose to power in Lapai, he decided that enough was enough, and was determined to claim the marginal land for his country. He planned a massive invasion into the borderlands, determined to take the land by force.
Hearing of this, Lord Misaku, the leader of Oberon at the time, immediately ordered his army to gather in the borderlands, so that they would prevent the Lapai army from gaining the disputed lands. Unfortunately, Tai-Yuan’s troops had already entered the borderlands, and were fighting the inhabitants to gain control.
A small race, dubbed the ‘mystics’, lived in the borderlands at this time. The mystics were disapproved of at the time, as they had been born with the ability to use magic, and so were banished to this land by Lord Misaku’s predecessor, Lady Mei. They battled with the Lapai army, and, after a long, difficult war, managed to defeat them, using their magic, and inadvertently protecting Oberon from the invading army.
“Luna, I’m bored!” a shrill voice tore her from the words, removed her from her happy solitude. Sighing, she gazed up, saw a childish pout, and staring blue eyes. “Can we go already?”
“I just started reading, Astral,” Luna stated quietly, remembering she was in a library, trying not to raise her voice. It was difficult, considering her big sister’s impatience. Averting her eyes back to her book, she continued to whisper. “Besides, it’s not like I asked you to come with me. Rune was going to come, but he was busy. Go on home, I’ll be back in an hour.” Astral shook her head of long, luxurious blonde hair, a frown fixed on her pretty face.
“I promised Father I’d stay with you,” she sighed, immaturely stamping a foot. Seeing Luna was not interested, continuing to read, she peeked around the towering bookcases, making sure no-one was around. Leaning down over Luna’s shoulder, she parted her glossy black hair, whispered into her ear. “Come on, you know how everyone in town is around you. Father just wanted me to make sure you’d be alright. Anyway, I don‘t have time to sit and wait while you read. I have to organise some things.” Luna sighed, reluctantly closing the book, giving in to her moody sister before she lost her temper. Astral stood up straight, happy she’d gotten her own way, blowing out the table lamp as Luna slid the book back onto the bookcase.
“I’ll never finish that history book,” Luna thought to herself, slowly pacing back over to her sister. She nodded, letting Astral lead the way, following closely behind.
Now reaching the reception, Astral smiled at the librarian. The librarian was a thin, elderly woman, with crow-like features, beady eyes, and a shrivelled, bony face. Hunched over, stood behind the mahogany counter, she gave a smile as Astral passed by. Her smile faded into a judging glare as Luna hurried past, her head bowed, almost shrinking into the thick carpet. Clicking her tongue in disapproval, she returned to her duties as the two sisters left the library. Luna gave a sigh as they stepped out into the busy town square.
Bright awnings adorned the outsides of shops, pretty window boxes filled with flowers hanging beneath their decorated windows. The buildings were made of large stone bricks, supported with varnished wooden beams. Stood proudly in the centre of the cobbled square, the old clock tower chimed twelve o’clock, its yellowing face smiling down on the town from a great height. Lying on the floor of the Forgotten Valley, the town was a pretty place, alive with colour, filled with friendly faces. Friendly to everyone, with a single exception. Luna.
Since she was a child, Luna had always stood out from the others. It seemed that whenever she was around, strange things would occur. Once, while at a town fête, a candle floated through mid-air as she walked past, before falling to the ground and setting a patch of grass into flames. A huge display strangely collapsed as she walked into a shop. The wheels of a cart collapsed when she looked at it, sending the horse into panic, causing it to run, throwing several people down onto the ground. Over time, and after many more mysterious events such as these, the gossipy small-town folk had begun to treat her as an outcast, claiming her presence to be a bad omen. Luna herself knew these events were just coincidental, a case of bad timing and misjudgement, but the townspeople did not accept this explanation. They did not frown upon the rest of her family, treated them as good friends, although this was probably because they ran one of the only farms, providing the majority of the food for the town.
Astral crossed the square, giving a smile to everyone she saw. Living in such a small town, everyone was familiar with everyone else, and nobody was a stranger. People greeted Astral as she passed, her sunny smile greeting them back. They then frowned at Luna as she followed her sister along, keeping herself to herself, trying to make herself inconspicuous. Her small frame and tiny body made this much easier. She knew that the worst was over once she’d crossed the square, reminded herself it was only a few short steps. Although, these short steps felt like an absolute lifetime to her, with all the frowning faces, and the hurtful comments.
Luna breathed a sigh of relief as they reached the outskirts of town. Crossing the stone bridge over the crystal-blue river, she smiled as she looked forward to home. Tall, golden crops stood at either side of the gently sloping path, lining the beaten trail up to the farmhouse. The familiar white stone building sat on the sloping valley side, partially hidden by the small orchard that stood before it. Astral sauntered up to the wooden front door, while Luna lingered amongst the trees. Looking to her right, she frowned as she saw Kirune, happily lying asleep in the shade of an apple tree. She took off her shoes, felt the unusually warm grass between her toes as she walked towards him. The hot sun shone down upon the ground, the soft, cool breeze providing some relief from the unrelenting heat. The branches gently swayed in the wind, making soothing, rustling noises as they moved. She looked down on her older brother, narrowing her eyes.
“Enjoying a busy day, huh, Rune?” she said sarcastically, looking down at him. “I thought you were too busy to come into town.” Lying with his bulky arms behind his head, he opened a single, deep, green eye. Sighing, he shifted his huge body, sat up. Stretching his arms and looking back up at her, he gestured for her to sit beneath the tree with him.
“Hi, Luna,” he yawned, ruffling his short blonde hair with a single, paw-like hand. He sighed, seeing the frown on his little sister’s pale face as she slouched in the grass. “I thought I was making a delivery today, but when I got into work, it turned out I wasn‘t, so I just came home. By the time I got back, you and Astral had already gone into town. Sorry I couldn‘t come with you.” Luna nodded, and he gave a wide, bright smile.
“It’s fine,” she raised a small smile, looking out over the field, out towards the small town. As she eyed the town hall, watching the Oberon flag rippling in the breeze, she remembered something. “When is that guy coming over?” Rune screwed up his face, stared back with a look of confusion. Luna pointed out the town hall, and he realised what she was talking about.
“Oh, Yakuza,” he mused, rubbing his stubbly chin. He frowned as he spoke, showing his dislike of this man. “Tomorrow, I think. I won’t be here, though.” Luna widened her eyes, sitting up properly, staring at him in shock.
“You won’t be here?” she repeated, looking up at Kirune, who casually leaned back on the tree trunk. “You have to be here, he wants to discuss the wedding.” He smiled, shrugging his shoulders carelessly. It seemed he was not too bothered about the details of his younger sister’s big day.
“Too bad,” he smiled, looking at Luna with a grin. “Astral knows I’m against the whole thing anyway. That Yakuza guy gives me the creeps. Sure, he’s the Mayor’s son and everything, but I don’t trust him. I don‘t want my little sister to have to fit into his schedule.” Luna nodded, watching a white, puffy cloud gently floating along in the great azure sky.
“I don’t trust him either,” Luna sighed, averting her eyes from her brother’s tanned face, “but I suppose it’s up to Astral. It‘s her choice. I just hope she made the right decision.” She absent-mindedly picked up a rosy, fallen apple, hurled it as far as she could over the golden field. It dropped into the swaying ocean of waving crops. “So why won’t you be there?” Kirune flopped down onto his front, lazily resting his head on his arms. The hot weather was uncomfortable, making him fidget in the itchy grass.
“I’m making a delivery to Xanadu,” he replied, looking over his shoulder at her. “I leave early tomorrow morning, so I won’t be there to discuss the plans.” Luna raised an eyebrow.
“All the way to Xanadu?” she repeated him again, in disbelief. This was unusual, as the delivery group Kirune worked for usually only sent items to the small villages in the Forgotten Valley. Xanadu, also known as the ‘Flower City’, was about a day’s journey away, therefore well outside his usual area of delivery. “Why would you need to go there?” Restless, he rolled onto his back, looking up into the intertwined branches of the apple tree.
“Something for the Mystic Academy,” he mused, eyeing the fruit dangling on the branches. “Not sure what though, the boss didn’t mention much else.” Luna thought for a moment, remembering the chapter she’d started reading earlier. She was intrigued by the Mystics, but didn’t have the chance to learn much else about them.
“The Mystic Academy?” she repeated quietly, looking at him. Her very expression told him that she wasn’t sure of what this was.
“About this time of year, the new students start gathering there,” he explained. “The Academy is where the young Mystics start their training. They stay there for the basics, then go off across Oberon, journeying to Zyria.” Luna nodded, interested.
“What kind of training?” she asked, curious. “Sounds hard. Zyria is so far away, it’s right on the border with Lapai.” Kirune nodded, closing his eyes in the heat, sweat glistening on his forehead.
“I don’t know much about it,” he continued, “I think they learn to control their magic properly. You know about the Misaku agreement, right?” Misaku was another name that rung a bell in the back of her mind. She shook her head, a sheen rolling across her black hair. “The War of the Mystics?” She shook her head again. Kirune sighed. “I thought you were reading a history book? Anyway, after the War of the Mystics, Lord Misaku made an agreement with them. If Oberon is ever involved in a war, the fully trained mystics have to go out and help the army. In return, all of the Mystics are allowed to live wherever they want to, not confined to the borderlands any more. ‘Course, they have to graduate from the Academy before they can help the Army.”
“So that’s how it ended,” Luna thought to herself. At least she didn’t have to wait to find out what had happened at the end of the chapter.
Kirune stood up, stretched in the light that streamed down through the branches of the tree. With legs like tree trunks, he paced around in the grass, his huge body casting an equally huge shadow. Kirune was affectionately known as the ‘gentle giant’, because of his gigantic stature, and his friendly, caring demeanour. He looked down at his little sister. She was lost in her own mind, obviously absorbed with all he’d just said. Smiling, he had a thought.
“You wanna come with me?” he asked with his gentle tone. She looked up at him, raised an eyebrow.
“Why would you want me to come?” Luna answered his question with another question, looking up with bright blue eyes, a single raised eyebrow. “You’re working, Rune, it’s not like a day trip or something.” Sitting back down in the shade of the tree, Kirune gave a smile.
“You seem kinda interested in the Academy,” he smiled, his green eyes beaming. “I mean, it’s not like you could join or anything, but you can go take a look around for yourself. I think they’re open to everyone when the new students get there this weekend.” Luna thought about it for a second, in a daze, watching a small flower happily swaying in the gentle breeze. She’d love to go, it seemed so fascinating to her. After everything Kirune had said about them, she was surprised she’d never heard about the Mystics before. The way he spoke, they seemed quite important. Especially with the Misaku Agreement. She looked back up at him, a sad smile on her pale face.
“I can’t,” she sighed regretfully, running her fingers in the lush grass. “I have to stay here, for Astral.” Kirune’s happy smile faded.
“Come on, Luna,” he tried to convince her. Hearing a rustle in the grass, he looked over his shoulder, saw his father walking over, carrying a ladder, and a woven basket. He gave a wave, before looking back to his sister. His father smiled back, propping the ladder up against a nearby tree, climbing up to collect the fruit. Kirune spoke again. “Besides, I happen to know you’d do anything to get out of here.”
Luna sighed heavily, knowing he was right. Her older brother was the only one who knew this, as he was the only one she could trust with the information. She trusted her mother and father, but thought they may be offended by her opinion, as justified as it was. Her younger brothers wouldn’t understand, and her moody big sister Astral would just blurt it out at any given opportunity. She wanted to get out of the valley as soon as possible, hated the fact that she could not even go into town without being ridiculed. Running a farm wasn’t her idea of a fun life. She detested the small-town life, and the equally small-minded people that lived there. The only reason she stayed was because she did not want to leave her family behind, go out into the world alone. Although, if she went to Xanadu, she would not be alone. The different surrounding would make a nice change, considering she’d never left the valley in all her seventeen years.
“You‘re right,” she sighed heavily, sliding onto her back in the grass, closing her eyes. “I hate this place. Just two days away would be great.” Kirune smiled, seeing she was coming around to the idea. She continued to talk, convincing herself to accept this offer, justifying her reasons. “Besides, we could see Yakuza at any time, he lives so close. It’s not like we’re missing the wedding or anything.” Kirune nodded as she sat back up, wrapping her arms around her raised knees.
“It’ll be fun,” he said, nodding. “So is that a yes?” He hoped she’d go with him. Some company would be great, and he knew Luna would love a few days away from it all. The way he saw it, the trip would be fun for both of them.
“I’ll think about it,” she replied, resting her head on her knees. Suddenly, a crash echoed from behind the farm house, followed by frantic barks and loud rattling. Then a soft thud, as his father jumped down from the ladder, pacing over to Luna and Kirune.
“Rune, that had better not be your dog back there,” he sighed, smiling, placing the half-filled basket down on the ground. He gave a small laugh. “Although, I doubt the old girl could hurt the chickens anymore.” Kirune immediately leapt to his feet, giving Luna a nod as she grinned back at him.
“I’ll talk to you about it later,” he sighed, rolling his eyes as he took off running through the orchard, away from her. She smiled, waving as he disappeared behind the white building, then looked up at her father, her hair gently flowing in the light winds.
So... yeah. Let me know what you think, good or bad!
